Seamless plated taper and method of making same.



B.. G. SCHUTZ. sDAMLBss PLATED TAPED AND METHOD 0F MAKING SAME. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1907.

962,985. Patented June 28,- 1910. l

|NVENTDH ATTURNEY D @mfg UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH Gr. SCHUTZ, OF PROVIDENCE, RIF-IODE ISLAND.

SEAIVILESS PLATED TAPER AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH G. SCHUTZ, of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seamless Plated Tapers and Method of Making Same; and I do hereby declare the following specification, taken in connection with the accoinpanying drawings, forming a part of the same, to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The invention relates to seamless plated tapers for use in the manufacture of certain articles of jewelry, and is especially adapted for use in the manufacture of seamless plated spectacle-bridge tapers and seamless plated ring tapers. Heretofore in the manufacture of such tapers a piece of solid round seamless plated wire has been used, and the end portions reduced by hammering the same in a swaging machine. 1When manufactured in this manner the precious metal npon the outside of the end portions of the taper becomes greatly reduced in thickness and considerably thinner than upon the central portion, by reason et the fact that said metal is hammered upon a solid core and can only spread lengthwise or longitudinally. This is very objectionable, as it leaves the very portion of the finished spectacle-bridge, as well as the ring, which receives the greatest amount of wear with the least amount of gold and weaker at the very point where greatest strength is desired.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome these objections and provide a seamless plated taper having the precious metal thicker at the end portions than at the central portion thereof.

To this end the invention consists in the novel construction and method of making the same hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a blank from which my improved taper is formed. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the blank with both ends drilled. Fig. t is a transverse sectional view of one of the ends of the blank shown in F ig. 3. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a taper formed from the blank shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the finished taper after it has been flattened to form a. spectacle-bridge taper. Fig. 7 is Speceation of Letters Patent.

Application tiled August S, 1907.

Patented June 28, 1910.

Serial No. 386,931.

a vertical section on the line y-y, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a vertical sect-ion on the line -x, Fig'. 6. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modified form of blank. Fig. l0 is a vertical section of one of the ends of Fig. 9. Fig. 1l is a longitudinal section of a taper formed from the blank shown in Fig. 9. Figs. 12 and 13 are a front and side view respectively of the finished spectaclebridge.

Referring to the drawings, the method of making my improved taper is as follows: A short piece of plated wire composed of a solid base metal core and a seamless shell of precious metal 2 united to said core, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is drilled longitudinally at both ends forming the hollow end portions 3 and the solid central portion 4L, as shown in Fig. 3. The blank thus formed is then hammered down by a swaging machine until the hollow end portions 3 become practically solid. Vhile said blank is undergoing this operation the precious metal covering the central or solid portion et of the blank becomes a trifle thinner than it was originally, by reason of the fact that this portion of said blank is solid and when reduced in diameter, the precious metal can only spread or flow longitudinally or lengthwise of the blank. The effect of the hammering by the swaging machine upon the end portions 3 of the blank, however, is diiferent and results in the precious metal covering these portions of said blank becoming thicker than it was originally, by reason of the fact that these portions of the blank are hollow, and when reduced in diameter by hammering the precious metal will spread or flow transversely, as welly as longitudinally, and therefore become thicker. The hammering operation will also provide the same edect upon the base metal core of the blank, the central or solid portion of which will become thinner, while the end or hollow portions will become thicker and the blank will assume the form shown in Fig. 5 when itleaves the swaging machine. When the taper thus formed is to be used for a spectacle-bridge taper, said taper is then flattened by dies to the form shown in Figs. (i, 7 and S, and is then bent up into its fmished form as shown in Figs. l2 and 13.

As will be seen, the increase in the thickness of the precious metal comes at that part of the finished bridge which receives the most wear, viz., the sharp bends at the ends of the U-shaped central portion, and said increased thickness also gives additional strength Vand spring to this portion of the bridge which is very desirable.

Fig. 9 Ashows a modified form of blank in which the base metal core is in the form of a tube l', and a plug 5 is inserted in the central portion of said tube l and preferably united thereto by solder or in any other suitable manner. lVith this construction the end portions 3 are hollow and the central portion l; is substantially solid. After this form of blank has been hammered down by the swaging machine, it will be in the form shown in Fig. 13, and the results produced by the hammering operation upon the precious metal shell 2 will be the same are produced upon the blank shown in Fig. l. The ends 6 of the plug 5 are preferably tapered so as to completely lill the interior of the tubular coi'e l when the blank is hammered down into the form shown in Fig. 1l.

lilith the above described method of forming tapers the thickness of the precious metal shell can be varied in different portions of the taper as desired. The increase in thickness of said precious metal shell which takes place at the hollow portions of the blank can be varied as desired by changing the size of the hole or opening in such portions, and the decrease in thickness which takes place at the solid portions can be varied as desired by decreasing the diameter of the blank at this point or by not subjecting said solid portions to the hammering operation.

lVhile I have shown the invention as applied to a double taper, it will be understood that the blank shown in Fig. l can be cut through the central portion to form a single taper of the character used in the manufacture of spectacleiemples.v

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. An article of the class described comprising a tapered base metal core and a seamless precious metal shell covering said core, said precious metal shell being thicker at the reduced portion of said taper than at the enlarged portion thereof.

2. An article of the class described kcomprising a round base metal core tapered at each end and a seamless precious metal shell covering said core and extending the entire length thereof, said precious metal core being thicker at the end portions than at the central portion.

3. The method of making articles of the class described which consists in forming a blank composed of a base metal core solid at one portion and hollow at another portion thereof, and covering said core with a seamless precious metal shell, and then reducing the hollow portion of said blank by a compressive action.

fl. The method of making articles of the class described which consists in forming a blank composed of a tubular base metal core provided with an outer seamless precious metal shell, inserting a solid plug firmly in the central portion of said tubular core and reducing down the end portions of said blank until the tubular end portions become practically solid.

RUDOLPH G. SCHUTZ.

lVitnesses VJ. H. THURSTON, J. H. TrrURs'roN. 

